1. MOBILE MALWARE
This report details the current status of Malware for mobile devices, their security
risks, the possible future evolution of Mobile Malware and Future Mitigation Options.
INTRODUCTION
With the penetration of Smartphones now reaching record highs in the UK, at just
under 50% owning a Smartphone (1); it comes to no surprise that the risk of malware
on mobile devices is also increasing. With the introduction of the iPad and other tablet
computers which are built upon the same firmware as Smartphones; malware can be
easily written to infect both devices, giving further support for malicious code writers
to focus their sights on mobile devices.
CURRENT EXAMPLES OF MOBILE MALWARE
Below are examples of real threats to user equipment on various platforms which exist
today. The vast majority of malware discovered works on the android platform as it is
possible to install unchecked 3rd party applications, unlike the Apple IOS platform.
However it is still possible to install unregistered apps from outside the Apple App
store by “jail breaking” the iPhone.
ANDRIOD TROJAN (JIMM ICQ TROJAN CLIENT) is a piece of malware which is
distributed by QR codes. A QR code is an image similar to a barcode which is captured
by a Smartphone’s camera. It can be used to provide a link to a WebPage in printed
publications. To infect their phone the user scans the QR code which directs them to a
webpage that downloads a trojanised version of the JIMM ICQ client. This software
when installed sends various SMS message to a premium number costing roughly £4
per message. It is possible for the attackers to hijack QR codes found in public places
and replace them with their corrupted versions to infect the victim’s phone.
ANDRIOD TROJAN (GOOGLE+ IMITATION APP) creators rely on the fact that
users will not pay particular attention to the software they are downloading. They have
labelled their software Google++ in the hope to hoodwink their victims. Once installed
it captures instant messages, call logs, location, GPS information and other sensitive
data.
WALKINWAT TROJAN is a corrupted version of the Walk and Text app which uses
the Smartphones’ camera to display the world to the user while they send SMS
messages, allowing them to walk and text at the same time. This Trojan identifies
itself as a pirated version of the popular walk and text app available for free download.
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MOBILE MALWARE
Once installed the software extracts IMEI information and other sensitive data and
uploads it to a central server for retrieval by the attackers. While uploading the
information it sends an SMS message to each of the victim’s contacts saying:
“Hey, just downloaded a pirated App off the Internet, Walk and Text for Android. Im
stupid and cheap, it costed only 1 buck. Don’t steal like I did!”
Symantec have claimed that this is first corrupted app discovered which actively scolds
the victim for software piracy.
IKEE, IPHONE WORM was the first computer worm discovered for the iPhone during
2009. It only affected users who had “jailbroken” their iPhone; this is when the user
gains root access to their phone to install custom firmware to allow for applications not
available through the Apple App Store. Through this process of jail breaking, the
default installation installs a SSH service with a default username and password. This
vulnerability was then exploited by iKee to infiltrate the phone and gain access. This
attack vector was then witnessed again by Security Company F-Secure in which
another piece of Malware compromised banking transactions on corrupted iPhones.
THE FUTURE OF MALWARE
The future of malware in mobile devices is evolving at an exponential rate. Many
researchers are now trying to fully understand the capabilities of malware on a mobile
device; as tablet computers become more popular the malware threat will increase.
REGISTER KEYSTROKES OF A KEYBOARD THROUGH A PHONE. Patrick Traynor
from Georgia Technology University demonstrated at a conference in Chicago that by
using an iPhone’s accelerometer they were capable of capturing the keystrokes of a
user on a computer to an accuracy of 80%. Patrick outlined that the malware could
work by allowing the user to download a seemingly innocent app which will then sense
when the phone is placed upon a hard surface near a keyboard. It will then start to
listen for keystrokes and send the information to a central server. (2)
IOS APP SECURITY FLAW
This was a flaw studied by Charlie Miller where he was able to bypass Apple’s security
checks and allow an App listed in their App Store to download a payload and run on
the phone. The current security procedure in place at Apple is that all apps are verified
before they are available on the App Store. However at the time of the vulnerability,
they did not have sufficient measures in place to confirm if the app would try to
execute a payload. As Charlie Miller shows in his video, the payload vulnerability
allows an attacker to gain near full control of the victim’s phone. This includes the
ability to download the user’s address book, download any file which currently resides
on the phone and send SMS messages. At the time of writing there is no patch for this.
(3)
ACTIVE RECORDING OF PHONE CONVERSATIONS
Researchers at Total Defence Security have discovered a piece of malware for the

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MOBILE MALWARE
Android Platform which will actively record a user’s phone conversation and upload the
file to a central server for retrieval. It stores the recording of the telephone
conversation in the AMR format and then stores it on the user’s MicroSD card before
uploading. (4)
WINDOWS 7 PHONE
Currently there are no known security vulnerabilities of the Windows 7 phone
operating system. The operating system is fairly new to the Smartphone market so the
hackers have had a limited amount of time to find the vulnerabilities.
The operating system has strong security preventions in place if a piece of malware
were to be installed. All applications that are run on the phone must be developed in
Microsoft’s Silverlight development platform. Each application cannot access the
system files of the phone, so it is “sandboxed” from the rest of the phone. The
inherent security of Silverlight is also present in the phone, the customer sensitive
data must be accessed through a series of APIs which launch and collect the data
required. This provides a level of security as applications cannot have direct access to
the data. (5)
SECURITY PRACTICES TO MITIGATE MALWARE
With the given rise of malware, the rate of Smartphone anti-virus software has also
increased. There are two options available to a user who wishes to mitigate the threat
of malware. They can choose to implement a local application which will periodically
scan their phone for any signs of malicious application behaviour; or they could
implement a cloud security based system. The local application approach is already
available from various vendors including Kaspersky and F-Secure. These products can
be configured to actively scan any file which is downloaded onto the handset providing
a level of security to the user.
The second approach is the cloud security based systems such as the recent
partnership between Allot and AdaptiveMobile (6). This system, which is currently
unavailable, will work on the service provider level as a chargeable opt-in feature.
From here the service provider can stop the malware from even reaching the user’s
handset providing a higher level of protection.
CONCLUSION
With higher usage of Smartphones, the pool of victims for Malware creators is
increasing at an exponential rate. Today’s Smartphone is also fast becoming a honey
pot of personal information; with many users now using their phones for bank
transactions, calendar appointments as well as storing detailed contact information of
their associates.

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MOBILE MALWARE
This makes any of the malware presented in this report of high risk to users and their
data. Any of these malicious programs could cause high levels of damage to the users
should their data fall into the hands of the wrong people. It is clear that the average
Smartphone user should take greater care about the level of information they hold on
their phones, which applications they allow to install and the level of permissions it
holds upon the phone. Perhaps, some might even consider mitigating some risks
through the use of security software.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Arthur, Charles. Half of UK Population own a Smartphone. The Guardian. [Online] 31 October 2011.
[Cited: 14 11 2011.] http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/31/half-uk-population-ownssmartphone.
2. PhysOrg. Turning iPhone into spiPhone: Smartphones' accelerometer can track strokes on nearby
keyboards.
PhysOrg.
[Online]
18
Oct
2011.
[Cited:
5
December
2011.]
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-10-iphone-spiphone-smartphones-accelerometer-track.html.
3. Greenberg, Andy. iPhone Security Bug Lets Innocent-Looking Apps Go Bad. Forbes. [Online] 7 Nov
2011. [Cited: 5 Dec 2011.] http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2011/11/07/iphone-securitybug-lets-innocent-looking-apps-go-bad/.
4. Venkatesan, Dinesh. A Trojan spying on your conversations. Total Defense Blog. [Online] 1 Aug 2011.
[Cited: 5 Dec 2011.] http://www.totaldefense.com/securityblog/2011/08/26/A-Trojan-spying-on-yourconversations.aspx.
5. Shinder, Deb. Windows Phone 7 Security Implications. Windows Security. [Online] 12 Jan 2011. [Cited:
5 Dec 2011.] http://www.windowsecurity.com/articles/Windows-Phone-7-Security-Implications.html.
6. Allot. Allot and AdaptiveMobile Partner to Enable Carriers to Deliver Personalized Cloud Security . Allot
Press
Releases.
[Online]
4
Oct
2011.
[Cited:
5
Dec
2011.]
http://www.allot.com/index.aspx?id=3797&itemID=70861.
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